A Brief Bio-Sketch
When I came to Colorado in 1991, I thought post-doctoral training in Developmental Psychology at the University of Denver would be the next step towards becoming a professor of psychology at a major research university.
I soon discovered that I loved working closely with couples, families, and children. Dr. Howard Markman and Dr.Scott Stanley showed me that research could be combined with direct work with families at risk for distress. We explored how to teach couples to strengthen their marriages, and how to argue or disagree in ways that build rather than destroy their relationships.
But the more I worked with couples the less happy I became as a researcher.But I also found that I wasn't meant to be a therapist.
I discovered I'm a teacher.
Nothing in my work life matches the joy I feel when I teach kids how to become successful, skillful students: reading for discovery, writing to make their voices heard, and using math to make sense of their worlds.
For the first few years of my private practice, I taught mostly reading and writing, using the Linguistic Remedies for Reading Disabilities approach (Dr. Barbara Wise, U of Colorado at Boulder). Currently,my practice is evenly split between those who need help with reading and writing, and those who need help with math. Across both groups, most of my students have ADHD in addition to reading or math challenges.